According to the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), the USDA partnered with them to provide eligible farmers markets and direct marketing farmers with the equipment necessary to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits—formerly known as the Food Stamps Program. Read the Full Story >>
Public Health
The Sobriety Hype
What does it mean to be sober? Do you have to be serious all of the time? What about fun—can you have any fun? There is a stigma surrounding addiction, recovery, and sobriety that has not been fully dealt with in our society. If, as a society, we are unable to talk about something, then Read the Full Story >>
Finally: A Comprehensive Program for Substance Abuse in the Panhandle
Mountaineer Recovery Center, targeted to open in September 2019, will be the first in the state of West Virginia to provide this level of treatment, according to someone’s needs all in one place. Read the Full Story >>
Graduation
When someone was leaving rehab—we called it graduating—we would all gather in the great room for a goodbye ceremony. We would sit in a circle on dinged-up metal folding chairs, all of us a little too fidgety, a little too caffeinated, feeling something that was hard to pin down—some mix of worry and jealousy and Read the Full Story >>
The Me in the Mirror
After waking up, there is always the question of what comes next—what life might lie beyond the life you’ve left behind. — Leslie Jamison When I got sober four months ago, I began to wake up. With each passing day, my world came more sharply into focus, and the experience of assessing what surrounded me was Read the Full Story >>
Amendment 1: Government in Reverse
West Virginia Amendment 1, stating that “this Constitution does not protect the right to abortion,” is what I would call “backwards family planning.” We all agree that our goal is to bring children into the world who are wanted and able to thrive. We also agree that government is not just there to protect property, it’s there Read the Full Story >>
Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center Expands and Evolves
The Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center (EPEC), which houses the only shelter for victims of violence in the area, has exponentially expanded its reach and impact over the years. Founded in 1977, it served less than 100 victims in its first year. Today it serves 1,400 victims annually. Read the Full Story >>
Drug Take Back Day Gets an Upgrade in Shepherdstown
Across the U.S. every year, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day lands in cities and towns with the goal of providing a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Read the Full Story >>
WV Air National Guard Expands Student-Mentor Relationships in the Panhandle
Students in the Eastern Panhandle have recently gained exposure to uniformed soldiers in the hallways of their schools. The men and women of the West Virginia Air National Guard (WVANG) 167th Airlift Wing, the 130th Airlift Wing, and the Army National Guard have been diligently working to help combat the state’s opioid addiction crisis by offering various mentoring opportunities to elementary and middle school students. Read the Full Story >>
Addiction Community Embraces Yet Another Advocate
Hundreds of voluntary recovery coaches throughout the state of West Virginia are helping those in need of services that are often nonexistent or hard to access. Greater Recovery and Community Empowerment (GRaCE), founded by president Rev. John Unger, taps into the "foundational aspect of instilling hope.” Read the Full Story >>
Panhandle’s Newest Addiction Endeavor Secures Local Coordinator
Addiction does not discriminate. Bridging the divides in our polarized country is an essential way for people to work together to fight the opioid epidemic, which is what One America West Virginia is trying to do. Read the Full Story >>
Appalachia’s Suicide Rates Are Startlingly High. For Veterans, They’re Even Higher.
“You work for someone [in the military] who’s your boss, and you work with other people. Everyone needs something different,” said “Frank,” a veteran originally from Sistersville (WV) who worked in the Navy’s visual communications team on an aircraft carrier. “Sometimes [worry] can follow you your entire life; you wonder, Have I done something wrong?” Read the Full Story >>
Area Programs Focused on Feeding Local Food-Insecure Children
According to the USDA, more than 13 million children in the United States live in “food insecure” homes, which means those families don’t regularly have enough food to eat. Thankfully, there are two programs in Jefferson and Berkeley County that are making a difference to help end childhood hunger. Read the Full Story >>
Partnership in Martinsburg Adds Strength to Opioid Fight
The Martinsburg Initiative (TMI) is an innovative, multi-dimensional partnership that has developed a model solution to the crisis of Opioid Use Disorder and the general problems of other substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders. Read the Full Story >>
National Organization Arrives in Panhandle to Confront Opioid Epidemic
Established after the 2016 presidential election, The One America Movement’s (One America) mission is to build bridges and solve problems by bringing Americans together across racial, religious, political, and geographic divides in order to address pressing social problems like poverty, opioids, racial tension, and more. Read the Full Story >>